


Cherry Blossom

by L0stInSpace



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Crushes, F/M, Florists, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:40:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23180326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/L0stInSpace/pseuds/L0stInSpace
Summary: For years, the store opposite Iceman Inks Tattoo Studio had remained unoccupied, the slot on Templeman Street vacant. That was, until, Button's Bouquets decided to open up opposite them. Instead of the usual dark room looking back at the parlour, new life was injected into the street, in the form of a florists on the other side of the road.And if George's attention is suddenly stolen by one of the boys from across the road, who is he to complain?//A tattoo shop/florists au
Relationships: Alexander Albon/George Russell, Charles Leclerc/Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso/Jenson Button, Jamie Chadwick/George Russell (one sided), Lando Norris/Carlos Sainz Jr, Lewis Hamilton/Daniel Ricciardo (one sided), Nico Hulkenberg/Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly/Caterina Masetti Zannini
Comments: 8
Kudos: 48





	1. Welcome To Iceman Inks

**Author's Note:**

> I can't wait to be writing this! After seeing this prompt I couldn't help but want to write it, and here we are! It's my first multi chapter fic and I'm quite excited to be writing this, I really hope you guys like this!!  
> Origins of the prompt: https://pairing-prompts.tumblr.com/post/182559556437/person-a-is-a-florist-and-person-b-is-a-tattoo (idk how to link so here's the url to copy/paste!)

It was a rather cold and gloomy day in London, grey skies above with rain threatening to fall. Cars were stuck in traffic on the streets, cyclists weaving in and out of the parked vehicles, trying to make up ground. Corner shops were trying to give away newspapers to passers by, and a variety of tourist shops were also trying to sell various merchandise items branded heavily with British flags and cartoonish forms of the capital’s landmarks. To George, it was all white noise in the background, his feet carrying him towards his destination, Iceman Inks Tattoo Studio.

He’d been to the studio several times before to get tattooed, but he never expected to land up as a fully trained apprentice, under the watchful eyes of Kimi Raikkonen, one of the world’s greatest tattoo artists. He’d handed in his portfolio of sketches and his cv after his last tattoo there, expecting nothing to come from it - instead he’d been called back by Kimi himself for a face to face interview and offer of an apprenticeship position, one he didn’t dare turn down. A year’s worth of training on animal skins and on digital training quickly followed, and now he was here, walking towards the studio for his first day as an official apprentice artist, tattooing clients for the first time.

He was greeted on the door by Jamie, the receptionist who’d started around the time Kimi started training him. She was around his age, quite petite but with a large personality, something that made George inclined to know her better. She was pretty, with flowing dark hair and a bright smile, but it didn’t make him attracted to her, he had no inclination to be dating females anyway. 

“Hey G!” she cheerily spoke to him, to which he smiled back, taking a seat on one of the chairs in the front room, looking out through the large glass window out onto the street.

“Hey Jay!” he replied teasingly, causing her to laugh slightly, filling the once silent room with noise. 

“Have you seen, we’ve finally got a new store opening across the road!” George commented back, looking out to see the new signage on the front of the shop, bright letters reading Button’s Bouquets.

“Yeah, Button’s Bouquets! I think the guy who runs it has just returned back from Spain, he wanted to start a family with his husband and they thought it would be easier to relocate to London. At least that’s what Kevin told me.” Jamie told him in response, receiving a soft hum in response as George rose from his seat, removing his coat and scarf before placing them in the staff room. When he returned, he found Daniel and Lewis occupying the seats in the front room, both holding steaming mugs of tea which were evidently freshly made. The pair were sitting rather close, stealing glances when the other wasn’t looking, Daniel’s eyes currently raking over the soft features of Lewis’ face. 

“Morning lads!” he cheerily said to both of them, snapping them out of their momentary daze. Daniel jolted upright at this, blushing slightly whilst Lewis continued sipping his tea, pretending not to notice what Daniel had just been doing. Both looked up at the Brit with attentive eyes, deciding whether to say anything or just to leave George alone. Before they could speak, footsteps from the stairs cut them off, the Dane rising from the basement, greeting George straight away.

“George, you ready for your first day?” he asked casually, throwing an arm around the brunette’s shoulders, a pat on the back full of encouragement. 

“Not really Kev, but I’ll just have to see how it goes. Surely I can’t mess up that badly?” he replied, laughing slightly at the end. It was in his nature to always want to do the best, so to finally be given this opportunity was exciting yet terrifying at the same time. He often doubted whether he was ready but Kimi had reassured him that he would be perfectly fine, and the rule of thumb was if Kimi Raikkonen was praising your work, then you must be doing something right.

“You’ll only be ruining someone’s skin for the rest of their life mate!” Daniel chimed in, laughter ringing out through the whole studio as he toyed with the idea of a tattoo mistake. Lewis soon joined him with laughing, and eventually the whole room was in hysterics, but that usually happened whenever Daniel tried to joke, his charm irresistible.

Kimi soon emerged from the basement, having finished setting up for his first appointment of the day. People would often book months in advance just to get a spot at Iceman Inks, so Kimi would often try to squeeze as many appointments as possible into one day, starting as early as possible and ending as close to the shop shutting as possible. Daniel and Kevin were also quite well known within the industry but had shorter waiting lists, often having spare slots for walk-in appointments whenever clients wanted something on the spot. Lewis specialised in body piercings at the shop, however was also qualified to tattoo so would sometimes take on appointments, the more simple walk in requests. 

George was starting from zero. No bookings, nothing, just taking whatever requests Kimi felt were best suited to him. It was a big leap into the unknown, but he knew he deserved to be here, Kimi had put all his faith into training him for the years. It was all about proving his worth now, showing people that he was worthy of his title, George Russell the tattoo artist.

Looking out the glass window, he could see the people in Button’s Bouquets setting up, ready for the 9am trading to begin. The oldest was a man who looked to be in his 30’s, dark blonde hair with a smattering of stubble, and an athletic build. He assumed that it was the owner, the so called Mr Button who ran the store with his husband (if Kevin was to be believed). Beside him, he could see a smaller boy, looking roughly his own age, short brown hair and pale skin. He was currently laughing over something that Button had said to him, the pair smiling as they arranged the plant pots on the windowsill. Lastly, his eyes drifted to the third man, darker skinned and black haired, who was standing slightly further from the pair. He didn’t wear a smile unlike Button and his colleague, instead his lips curving slightly downwards, expression slightly sullen. George’s heart started to ache slightly at the sight, wondering what could’ve caused him to be feeling like that. It was only then that he realised, he didn’t even know anything about the man, but he was already falling in love with him - the man at Button’s Bouquets.


	2. Button's Bouquets

“Nando dear, did you receive the delivery we put in for the hyacinths?” Jenson called out into the back room, too busy nitpicking the variety of shelves at the front 

“Si, carino, it’s all under control. The hyacinths are on the table alongside the violets you also wanted. Pierre and Alex are working today, right?” Fernando called back to his husband, who was seemingly panicking over the plants, having left a clear spot on the display.

“Yeah, they should’ve been here by now. Typical of them, showing up late on the first day of opening!” Jenson laughed back, sighting a little as he looked at the clock. He’d asked them to show up half an hour before operations started, but with the clock indicating 20 minutes until operations, neither Pierre or Alex were present at the new florists.

“Don’t be so worried, Jense, everything will go smoothly. They’re probably stuck in traffic or something?” Fernando suggested in return, walking over to hand Jenson his coffee mug, slightly cool from being discarded on the side earlier.

“I just want this opening to go smoothly, this has been our dream for years.” Jenson reminded him, smiling softly as he thought back to the past, just how far he and Fernando had come since meeting for the first time as teenagers in Valencia. He didn’t know the handsome stranger he asked for directions would become the man he’d eventually marry and start planning a family with, but he couldn’t be happier with the way life had gone for him so far.

“I know it has Jense. And I can promise you, it will all go fine.” Fernando cooed back, placing a quick kiss to his cheek, wrapping an arm around Jenson’s waist to hold him closer. It was the moments like this that he treasured the most, alone with his lover, at peace with the surroundings. 

A sharp sound of a bell snapped them out of their trance, the smiling faces of Pierre and Alex walking into the store, breath slightly heavy from their rush to the store. 

“Sorry I’m late Jenson!” Alex profusely apologised, a scared smile appearing on his face as he awaited the harsh words of his boss. Fortunately, Jenson was in no mood to be angry, instead shrugging it off as nothing.

“It’s all good Alex, don’t worry. Pierre, you’re good as well, we don’t open until 9 anyway.” Jenson shrugged it off, smiling at the pair with encouragement as they started to walk back towards the staff room.

“Thought he was going to get mad at us for being late there. Lucky escape!” Alex quietly told Pierre, trying to keep out of earshot of Jenson. Pierre burst out laughing at this, stumbling slightly down the stairs to the back room, resting slightly against Alex’s side to regain balance.

“Who’s fault was it that they wanted Starbucks at the most busy branch in London?” Pierre teased him back, knowing full well they were late because of Alex’s caffeine cravings, needing something to get him through his first shift.

“In my defence you were also too busy texting Cate and left me waiting outside your place!” Alex returned, laughing as Pierre started stuttering, unable to form a defence to that.

“Oh come on!” he eventually replied, laughing alongside Alex as they both got into their work gear, t shirts changed for the work polo shirts, emblazoned with the familiar name of the florists. The banter was easy between the pair, having been long time friends before applying for positions at the new start up. It made it easier for Alex, working with someone he knew, and he hoped his move to a new city would provide more opportunities to know new people. 

He found himself walking towards the glass window at the front of the store, looking out towards the street and the store opposite, Iceman Inks. He’d heard the stories about how people would wait months just to get appointments there, and of course he knew the name Kimi Raikkonen - everyone did. He didn’t know anything more about the tattoo shop, but from what he was seeing, it was very different to what he expected. The decor was all bright and welcoming, artwork on the walls in various styles showcasing the artists’ talents, it was curious for him to see all the misconceptions broken down. 

His eyes fell to the people standing in the room, all looking to be engrossed in each other apart from the one standing at the window, doing the same as what Alex was. Alex assumed they were around a similar age, he looked quite youthful compared to some of the other artists so he assumed he was still an apprentice or trainee. The brunette looked up momentarily, holding Alex’s gaze as he smiled politely, waving a little before looking towards the other side of the store, where Jenson and Pierre had settled, in conversation about something Alex couldn’t quite make out. He didn’t really want to know, he was busy watching life go by at the windowsill, stealing glances every now and then from the brunette across the road. 

“Right boys, time to get to work!” Jenson called out, bringing Alex’s attention back to Button’s Bouquets, and the working day about to get underway. A gentle acoustic beat started playing out the speakers, setting the atmosphere, and Alex instantly recognised the song, having it on his own Spotify playlist at home. He started gently humming along to the rhythm, Pierre giving him a knowing look as he watched on, also knowing what the song was about.

“Think my heart is beating me to death, I have got an arrow through my chest, I am so in love I must confess…” he proceeded to quietly sing as the chorus came on, Pierre raising an eyebrow at Alex’s sudden burst of positivity, now having a spring in his step. Alex couldn’t help but steal one more glance from across the street, smiling softly as the song played out the lyrics “say yes say yes say yes.” over the speakers. The boy returned the smile from across the street before starting to walk over to the tills, having volunteered to monitor them for the first hour. 

Pierre, unfortunately, didn’t let the second glance slide, instantly commenting to Alex about it.

“Which one of them is it?” he teased, turning Alex crimson red as he realised he’d been caught in the act. 

“What do you mean?” he asked, trying to feign innocence, but he knew exactly where his eyes were lain in the moment, and Pierre obviously did too.

“Come on, Alex! You were totally checking one of the guys at Iceman Inks out. Bet it was Jamie, she’d be a perfect fit for you!” Pierre nudged him slightly, trying to make Alex break and give the answer. He couldn’t help but be curious about his friend’s feelings after all, he knew it would do Alex good to finally see someone for more than just a hookup, something he’d done before.

“It doesn’t matter Pierre.” Alex just dismissed him, trying to sway him away from the topic. He didn’t even know what he was feeling towards the man at Iceman Inks, other than that there was some form of gravity pulling him in, willing him to get closer. It wasn’t love, and the song playing was _ pure coincidence,  _ it was just curiosity getting the better of him. Still, Pierre wasn’t convinced, but decided to drop the topic.

“Fine, whatever you say.” he lightly responded, a slight twinkle in his eye, and Alex knew that this wouldn’t be the last of it, Pierre would keep pushing until he got the answers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a side note, the song playing in the shop that Alex knows is Yes by Ben & Tan - it's a really sweet song and well, it kinda describes Alex in this whole fic (aka a lovesick idiot)


	3. Feelings Through Flowers

Lando really did enjoy life in London. He’d moved to the capital as an aspiring university student a year prior, but immediately fell in love with everything about the city. The atmosphere was always buzzing, from the coldest winter’s days to the swelteringly hot summer, there was always something going on to capture his attention. 

He’d been a shy student at first, a small boy in the big city, but he soon found there were more students just like him who were all a little afraid, which was reassuring that he wasn’t alone in this, and that there were many people just like himself. His housemates Max and Charles were also first years, moving over from The Netherlands and Monaco respectively, and he instantly found himself spending time in their company, due to their shared interests and situation, so much so that the trio found themselves living together for the second year, renting a flat on the outskirts of London. 

His course was fun, computer science being a big interest of his since childhood, however it was made better by his coursemates. Or, one of them in particular. They’d first crossed paths before the first lecture, under unfortunate circumstances that Lando would rather forget, and since then they’d been inseparable, wherever Lando went, Carlos would follow. At first, he thought he was only craving the Spaniard’s company due to not really having many solid friendships, but the longer it went on, Lando realised that his fondness was actually a crush. A big, painful crush, that he had no idea how to act upon.

Max and Charles had picked up on it pretty quickly and had tried several times to help Lando out, each one being met with the same excuses of ‘he doesn’t feel the same way’ and ‘it’ll ruin our friendship’ - something Max and Charles doubted, they could see the same fondness Lando held for Carlos shining brightly in Carlos’ dark eyes. In Lando’s defence, he knew how Charles felt towards Max, and Charles’ ultimate refusal to tell Max how he felt, and knew that he wasn’t the only one with feelings that weren’t being sorted out. It didn’t make it any easier though, telling Carlos would be the hardest thing for him, because he knew the Spaniard wouldn’t feel the same way, and it was ultimately delaying rejection. 

Button’s Bouquets was like a safe space for Lando, the environment peaceful and serene, setting his mind at ease whenever needed. He didn’t work many shifts, only a couple of evenings per week, however it was enough to help pay the bills, and he loved talking to the customers, getting to know their stories. Alex and Pierre were usually on shift with him, the trio spending their spare time joking around or discussing their plans in life, anything to pass the time between customers coming through the doors of Button’s Bouquets.

Currently, Pierre was talking about his plans for the summer, planning on taking his girlfriend Cate away to Barbados for a little ‘alone time’ as he put it, a slight smirk on his face as he said it. That was the thing with Pierre, he had the boyish look to make him seem innocent, but the things that came out his mouth were the complete opposite, adult humour and crude jokes coming out at a rate of notts. Alex let out a slight groan at the implications of what Pierre had just said, whilst Lando just hid his head in his hands, a soft sigh escaping his lips. It was always like this with the 3 of them, but Lando wouldn’t have had it any other way, this was the escape from uni life he sometimes needed.

“Any plans for yourself Alex? Going to sort out the situation with the girl from the tattoo parlour, or do I have to get involved for you?” Pierre suddenly turned his attention to the Thai beside him, blushing slightly as he was caught off guard, gaze focused towards the other side of the road, into the window of Iceman Inks.

“It’s not Jamie, I swear. If I tell you who it actually is, will you leave me alone?” Alex pleaded, Lando feeling a bit bad for him in the situation, knowing Pierre had been ribbing him about his crush for a couple of weeks now. 

“It’s one of the guys?” Pierre asked in reply, slightly shocked at the revelation from Alex, before the guilt kicked in, knowing he probably shouldn’t have pushed so hard about something so personally sensitive to Alex.    
  
“Yeah, it’s the younger brunette. No idea of his name but he looks really cute. He’s probably got a girlfriend though, most of the guys I’ve liked do.” Alex replied, lips curving up into a smile as he talked about the man, rosy blush sitting high on his cheeks. Looking at him, Lando could see Alex was enamoured, and he hoped that he wasn’t as bad when it came down to Carlos, even though he knew he probably was.

“Don’t lose hope so easily Alex, he could turn out to be Mr Right?” Pierre suggested, Alex waving him off with a cry of ‘no chance!’, trying not to build his hopes only to have them shot down

“And Lando, anyone for you?” Pierre turned his attention once more, this time towards the quiet Brit, who’d mostly spent the time listening to the others, praying he’d be left out of the equation.

“I, erm…” he trailed off, feeling the heat rising to his cheeks as he thought about Carlos, the familiar tanned skin, dark hair and brown eyes etched into his memory. He even knew the exact cologne Carlos liked to use, from the sheer amount of time spent close to the Spaniard. 

“I’ll take that as a yes then.” Pierre finished the sentence for him, laughing slightly at Lando fumbling about, trying to find the words to say.

“You see…” he tried to begin, once again faltering, unable to say the words, admit who he was crushing on to the guys. He’d barely told anyone, Max and Charles only knowing due to the fact he’d accidentally said it whilst drunk, and he’d never confessed it sober to anyone. Thankfully, the doorbell of the store chimed before Pierre could speak again, Lando sighing with relief until he turned to face the customer, cursing under his breath as he saw just who it was. 

“Lando, cabron, I didn’t know you worked here?!” Carlos immediately exclaimed, smiling brightly at the Brit as he walked into the store. For a moment, he tried to move closer to Lando, but retracted, remembering he worked for the store and it would not be professional conduct for Lando to be returning the hug.

“Carlos, good to see you!” Lando laughed in response, settling for exchanged smiles. He could see how Carlos briefly leant in a bit closer, and he’d be lying to say his heart didn’t beat a little faster. But before he could do anything, Carlos was retracting, an expression of doubt casting over his features.

“I’m here to pick up the bouquet I ordered a few days ago?” Carlos enquired, Lando smiling gently before pointing over to the corner of the room, towards where Jenson was standing.   
  
“Jenson’s in charge of the bouquets, the guy at the till, he’ll sort you out alright!” Lando laughed at his friend, seeing him walk towards the older Brit, who handed him a bouquet of brightly coloured flowers, the pinks, purples and yellow hues all vibrant in the arrangement. 

“Ciao cabron!” Carlos called out to Lando as he walked out the store, turning around to cheekily wink at him for good measure, the Brit's cheeks turned crimson red at the gesture.

“That’s him isn’t it?” Pierre asked before he could even defend himself, raising an eyebrow at the flustered Brit in front of him.

“Yep, and there’s nothing I can do about it.” he just replied, sighing as he thought of the Spaniard once again, and how much he would do to make the man his.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading this, it means the absolute world to me! If you enjoyed reading this, you can leave a comment or kudos, it would mean the world to be if you did!


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